Heston Blumenthal
Heston Blumenthal OBE HonFRSC | |
---|---|
Born | Heston Marc Blumenthal 27 May 1966 Shepherd's Bush, London, England |
Education | John Hampden Grammar School Desserts |
Rating(s)
| |
Current restaurant(s)
| |
Previous restaurant(s)
| |
Television show(s)
| |
Website | thefatduck |
Heston Marc Blumenthal
Blumenthal's public profile has been increased by a number of television series, most notably for
Early life
Heston Marc Blumenthal was born in
Blumenthal was raised in Paddington, and attended Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith;[6] St John's Church of England School in Lacey Green, Buckinghamshire; and John Hampden Grammar School, High Wycombe.[7]
His interest in cooking began at the age of sixteen on a family holiday to Provence, France, when he was taken to the 3-Michelin-starred restaurant L'Oustau de Baumanière.[8]: 13 He was inspired by the quality of the food and "the whole multi-sensory experience: the sound of fountains and cicadas, the heady smell of lavender, the sight of the waiters carving lamb at the table".[9] When he learned to cook, he was influenced by the cookbook series Les recettes originales, with French chefs such as Alain Chapel.[8]
When he left school at eighteen, Blumenthal began an apprenticeship at
Career
In 1995, Blumenthal bought a run-down pub in Bray, Berkshire, the Ringers, and re-opened it as the Fat Duck.[8] It was initially staffed only by Blumenthal and a dishwasher.[11] It served meals in the style of a French bistro, such as lemon tarts and steak and chips. Blumenthal later said that science had already begun to influence the cooking at this stage, as already on the menu were his triple-cooked chips, which were developed to stop the potato from going soft.[11] The Fat Duck came close to going bankrupt, and Blumenthal sold his house, his car and many of his possessions to keep it open.[11]
After four years, the Fat Duck was awarded its first Michelin star in 1999.
Blumenthal acquired the Hind's Head, also in Bray, in 2004. The building was a 15th-century tavern; it now serves traditional seasonal cuisine and historic British dishes. In 2011, it was named the Michelin Pub Guide's "Pub of the Year".[16][17]
In January 2011, Blumenthal opened his first restaurant outside Bray, Dinner, at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London. Historians helped to develop the restaurant's dishes from historic British recipes. Dinner was awarded its first Michelin star in 2012.[18] It was voted the 7th best restaurant in the world in 2013.[19] It received a second Michelin Star in the 2014 Michelin Guide.[20]
In June 2014, Blumenthal announced a new restaurant, the Perfectionists' Cafe, in Heathrow Airport.[21][22] In 2015, the Fat Duck was temporarily relocated to Melbourne, Australia, while the Bray restaurant was refurbished.[23] Upon reaching the end of its temporary opening, the restaurant became a permanent Melbourne-based Dinner although not owned by him.[24]
Television
In 2002, Heston made a series of six half-hour television programmes, Kitchen Chemistry with Heston Blumenthal, which was transmitted on Discovery Science along with a book Kitchen Chemistry, published by the Royal Society of Chemistry.[citation needed] During 2004–07, he presented two BBC series called Heston Blumenthal: In Search of Perfection and Heston Blumenthal: Further Adventures In Search of Perfection.[citation needed]
Blumenthal moved from the BBC to Channel 4 in March 2008, joining the channel's group of celebrity chefs which already included Jamie Oliver, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Gordon Ramsay. In January 2009 a three-part series of television programmes on Channel 4 covered his efforts to revamp the menu at a Little Chef motorway restaurant on the A303 road at Popham.[25][26] The Little Chef group extended Blumenthal's menu to 12 branches but, in 2013, removed his dishes from all restaurants.[27][28]
In March 2009 Blumenthal began a short series of programmes, called Heston's Feasts, showing themed dinner banquets. A second series of this was commissioned and began in 2010.[29] From 22 February 2011, Channel 4 began airing Heston's Mission Impossible, in which Heston targets lacklustre food served in various industries and aims to upgrade the food to meals that people enjoy to eat.[30] In January 2012, How To Cook Like Heston, aired on Channel 4. The programme was aimed at home cooks and featured some of the more approachable techniques employed by Blumenthal.[31]
In November 2012, Blumenthal fronted a television programme for Channel 4 entitled Heston's Fantastical Food and has also been part of a new 2014 series of Heston's Great British Food, again commissioned by Channel 4.[32] In 2020, Blumenthal appeared as a judge in the Channel 4 series 'Crazy Delicious' hosted by British comedian and TV presenter Jayde Adams, alongside chefs Niklas Ekstedt and Carla Hall.[33] In 2021, he participated as a judge in the French version of Top Chef, proposing a food pairing test.[34] In July 2022, Blumenthal appeared as a guest judge on the final episode of the Australian version of Masterchef.[35]
Waitrose
In 2010, Blumenthal entered a partnership to create products for the supermarket chain
Cooking methods
He has experimented with
Statement on the "new cookery"
From the late 1990s, scientific understanding, precision and technology became characteristic of modern cuisine, in so-called "molecular gastronomy". On 10 December 2006 Blumenthal and Harold McGee published a "Statement on the 'New Cookery'" in the Observer to summarise the tenets of this cuisine. In it they emphasise that openness to novel techniques and ingredients can be used as a means to achieve excellent dishes, but they value tradition. Novel techniques and ingredients should only be used when they contribute to a dish. For example, liquid nitrogen should not be used for the sake of novelty. And that progress can come from collaboration, for example with chemists and psychologists.[38]
Multi-sensory cooking
Blumenthal calls his scientific approach to cuisine "multi-sensory cooking", arguing that eating is "one of the few activities we do that involves all of the senses simultaneously".[39] One of the catalysts for this culinary approach was a visit at 16 to the restaurant L'Oustau de Baumanière in Provence, which at the time had three Michelin stars.[40] The trip prompted a passion for cooking, above all because of "the whole multisensory experience: the sound of fountains and cicadas, the heady smell of lavender, the sight of the waiters carving lamb at the table".[41] One of the other main inspirations for a multi-sensory style of cooking was the lack of space and opulence at the Fat Duck. "Places like the Baumaniere had a view and a history and architecture that took its diners to a world of beauty and indulgence. The Fat Duck didn't have any of that, so it had had to capture the diners’ imagination in a different way – taking them to the mysteries of flavour perception and multi sensory delight."[5][8]: 117
The event that cemented Heston's interest in this area was his creation of a crab ice cream to accompany a crab risotto. "People had difficulty accepting Crab Ice Cream, yet if it was renamed "Frozen Crab Bisque", people found it more acceptable and less sweet.[8] p. 71 The phenomenon was subsequently researched by Martin Yeomans and Lucy Chambers of the University of Sussex, who served test subjects a version of Blumenthal's ice cream flavoured with smoked salmon, but told one group they would be tasting ice cream and the other that they would be tasting a frozen savoury mousse. Although all consumed identical food, those eating what they thought was savoury mousse found the flavour acceptable while those eating what they thought was ice cream found the taste salty and generally disgusting.[8][42] For Blumenthal, this confirmed his ideas. "If something as simple as a name could make a dish appear more or less salty ... what effect might other cues have on flavours and our appreciation of them?"[8]: 105
Since that point, exploring the sensory potential of food – via both research and the creation of new dishes – has been an ongoing and characteristic strand of Heston's cooking. In 2004, working on a commission for the photographer
In Blumenthal's view, experiments such as these show that our appreciation of food is subjective, determined by information sent by the senses to the brain: "the ways in which we make sense of what we are eating and decide whether we like it or not depend to a large extent on memory and contrast. Memory provides us with a range of references – flavours, tastes, smells, sights, sounds, emotions – that we draw on continually as we eat."
The most complete expression to date of his
Signature dishes
Blumenthal's most famous signature dishes include
He has pioneered the use of sound as part of the dining experience with his Sound of the Sea dish where diners listen to a recording of the seaside – crashing waves with occasional sounds of distant seagulls, children's laughter and the horn of a ship, while they eat a dish of king fish, konbu cured halibut, ballotine of mackerel with 5 different seaweeds, sea jelly beans and monks beard served on "sand" made from tapioca starch, toasted Japanese breadcrumbs, miso paste and dried seaweeds.
Blumenthal is also known for his use of scented dry ice. Blumenthal and his restaurant "The Fat Duck" have been credited as instigators of the bacon dessert "craze". He was preparing sweet and savoury bacon-and-egg ice cream as early as 2004, and news "about the intriguingly odd confection quickly spread through the food world."[45]
Historic influences
Blumenthal uses British history in his dishes. He became interested in historical cooking in the late 1990s upon obtaining a copy of The Vivendier, a translation of a fifteenth-century cookery manuscript that contained unusual recipes, such as a chicken that appears roasted but wakes up as it is served. He said "I'd had little idea the cooking of the past could be so playful, audacious and creative."[46]
Following this, he attended an Oxford Symposium of Food and Cookery where he met the food historians Richard Fitch, who works for Historic Royal Palaces and Marc Meltonville. Later he met a third food historian, Ivan Day and, in consultation with these three, began developing dishes inspired by recipes in historical British cookbooks. The first completed dish based on a historic recipe was Quaking Pudding, which is now on the menu at the Hinds Head. This was followed by Beef Royal and Chocolate Wine, which featured on the Fat Duck menu. The opening of Dinner by Heston Blumenthal presented him with far greater scope for historical cooking, and its menu is composed solely of dishes inspired by the recipes of the past. His 2013 book Historic Heston is a collection of historical recipes that have appeared on the menus of Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, the Fat Duck and the Hinds Head.[47]
Royal patronage
In 2009, for a private party held during Ascot week, Blumenthal was invited to cook a meal for Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle. The menu included baked salmon, strawberry gateau and a starter, composed to look like a bowl of fruit, that consisted of offal and sweetbreads.[48] He was selected to provide the picnic meal for participants in Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations,[49] and was a guest in the Royal Box at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee concert in June 2012.
Personal awards
In 2004, Blumenthal won the Chef Award at The Catey Awards, joining the likes of Gordon Ramsay, Phil Howard and Raymond Blanc.
In January 2006, Blumenthal was appointed an OBE in the New Years Honours List for his services to British Gastronomy.[50]
He has been awarded honorary degrees for his scientific approach to cooking.[51][52] In July 2006, Blumenthal was presented with an honorary Doctor of Science degree by Reading University in recognition of his unique scientific approach to food and long-standing relationship with the University's School of Food Biosciences.[53] Also in July 2006, Blumenthal was the first chef to be awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the Royal Society of Chemistry.[54] Blumenthal received an honorary Master of Science from Bristol University in 2007.[55] In December 2013, Blumenthal was presented with an honorary Doctor of Science degree by the University of London, recognising his pioneering research and achievements in his field.[56]
In June 2013, the College of Arms granted Blumenthal a personal coat of arms.[57]
Chef's awards
- Best Restaurant of the Year Award – Decanter Magazine, 1998
- Chef of the Year – Good Food Guide, 2001
- AA Guide chef's chef of the year Award – AA Guide Publications 2002
- Catey Awards Restaurateur of the year Award – Caterer & Hotelkeeper Magazine 2003
- Food & Wine Personality of the Year Award – GQ Magazine, Glenfiddich Awards 2004
- GQ Magazine Chef of the Year – GQ Magazine Man of the Year awards 2004[58]
- GQ Personality of the year – GQ Glenfiddich Awards 2007
- Chef's choice award – San Pellegrino Worlds 50 Best Restaurant Awards April 2007[59]
- Trophy Gourmand – Austria 2010[58]
- GQ Chef of the Year – GQ Man of the Year Awards 2010/2011[60]
- The Diners Club® Lifetime Achievement Award 2017 at The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2017.[61]
Television and book awards
- Best Cookbook for "Family Food: A New Approach to Cooking" – Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2003[62]
- Best Children Cookbook for "Family Food: A New Approach to Cooking" – Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2004[62]
- Best Production "Heston Blumenthal – In Search of Perfection" BBC2 – GQ Glenfiddich Awards 2007* The Guild of Food Writers Awards 2014 – Historic Heston book, Heston and his ghost writer, Pascal Cariss won the prestigious award for on British Food.
- BAFTA nomination in the Features category for "Heston Blumenthal: In Search of Perfection"- British Academy Television Awards 2008[63]
- The Features and Lifestyle Award for Heston's Victorian Feast – The Royal Television Society Awards 2009[64]
- Food Book of the Year for The Big Fat Duck Cookbook – Guild of Food Writers Awards 2009[65]
- Winner of Design and Production Award for The Big Fat Duck Cookbook – British Book Industry Awards 2009[66]
- Winner of Photography Award for The Big Fat Duck Cookbook – James Beard Foundation Awards 2009[67]
- Winner of Design Award for The Big Fat Duck Cookbook – International Association of Culinary Professionals Awards 2009[68]
- BAFTA nomination in the Features category for "FEAST" – British Academy Television Awards 2010[69]
Restaurant awards
Heston's restaurants The Fat Duck and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal have received many awards, including "Best Restaurant in the World".[70]
Personal life
Blumenthal married his first wife, Zanna, in 1989. They had three children.[71] They separated in 2011 and divorced in 2017.[72] Blumenthal said Zanna was "a huge part" of the success of the Fat Duck, as she cared for their family while he was working.[73] From 2011 until 2015, Blumenthal was in a relationship with the American food writer Suzanne Pirret.[74] In 2017, he had a daughter with Stephanie Gouveia, a French estate agent. Blumenthal moved to France and married Gouveia in 2018.[72] In 2023, he announced their separation, and became engaged to Melanie Ceysson.[73] Blumenthal is Jewish.[3]
Bibliography
- Family Food: A New Approach to Cooking (2002)
- In Search of Perfection (2006)
- Further Adventures in Search of Perfection (2007)
- The Fat Duck Cookbook (2008)
- Total Perfection: In Search of Total Perfection (2009)
- Heston's Fantastical Feasts (2010)
- Heston Blumenthal At Home (2011)
- Historic Heston (2013) [75]
- Heston Blumenthal at Home (2015)
- Is This A Cookbook? Adventures in the Kitchen (2022)
As well as writing books, Blumenthal has written columns for
References
- ^ England & Wales births 1837–2006 Transcription
- ^ England (2 June 2010). "Heston on South Africa". Archived from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2018 – via YouTube.
- ^ a b "Heston adds some Blumenthal flair to Shabbat dinners". Retrieved 18 July 2018.
- ^ Brian Viner (5 February 2011). "Heston Blumenthal: The alchemist". The Independent. London. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
- ^ a b Hooton, Amanda (6 December 2014). "The strange brew that is Heston Blumenthal". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
- ^ Tibbetts, Graham (24 October 2008), "Harry Potter Star Alan Rickman Funds School Bursary", The Daily Telegraph, London, retrieved 15 July 2011
- ^ Interview by Hester Lacey (15 July 2011). "The Inventory: Heston Blumenthal". Financial Times. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n The big Fat Duck Cookbook. Bloomsbury. 2008.p.23
- ^ In search of Total Perfection. Bloomsbury. July 2010. p. 9.
- ^ The Big Fat Duck Cookbook
- ^ a b c "Heston Blumenthal: Why snail porridge consumes me". CNN. 14 September 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
- ^ Bowcott, Owen (16 January 2004). "Fat Duck gives Bray something to crow about". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
- ^ "Caterer and Hotelkeeper 100: Heston Blumental, the Fat Duck, Dinner, the Hind's Head, the Crown". Caterer and Hotelkeeper. 1 July 2011. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
- ^ "Village hogs top restaurants". BBC News. 16 January 2004. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
- ^ Lander, Nicholas (6 July 2007). "Duck that lays the golden egg". Financial Times. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ "'Blumenthal's Hinds Head named Michelin Pub of the Year'". BBC News. 8 September 2010.
- ^ [Stephen Swinsford (27 September 2012) "Michelin Guide 2013: Winners leaked week early",The Telegraph
- ^ [Simon Rogers (7.10.2011), "Michelin Stars 2012: get the full list of restaurants", The Guardian
- ^ "Experience Travel – USA TODAY". USA Today. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
- ^ Marsden, Sam (26 September 2013). "Michelin Guide 2014: Heston Blumenthal awarded sixth star for London restaurant Dinner". The Telegraph. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
- ^ O'Ceallaigh, John (10 March 2014). "The Perfectionists' Cafe: Heston Blumenthal's Heathrow restaurant". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 March 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
- ^ [Heather Saul (12.11.13), 'Celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal to launch restaurant at Heathrow airport's new 2.5bn Terminal 2', Independent
- ^ Farrell, Paul (31 March 2014). "Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck to close for six months in Melbourne move". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
- ^ "Melbourne Restaurant with Heston Blumenthal's Name on the Door Could be Liquidated". 24 December 2019.
- ^ Smillie, Susan (28 November 2008). "Heston Blumenthal's Little Chef: the menu". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 26 December 2008.
- ^ Cockcroft, Lucy (27 March 2008). "Heston Blumenthal to transform Little Chef". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 27 March 2008.[dead link]
- ^ Food and Drink (23 June 2013). "Little Chef drops Heston Blumenthal from menu". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
- ^ The Telegraph, Ben Bryant 23.06.13
- ^ "Heston's Willy Wonka Feast". Sky UK. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
- ^ "About Heston's Mission Impossible – Channel4 – 4Food". Channel 4. 9 February 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
- ^ "How To Cook Like Heston". Retrieved 18 July 2018.
- ^ "Heston's Great British Food". Retrieved 18 July 2018.
- ^ "Crazy Delicious: When is it on? What is it about? Who are the judges?". Radio Times. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
- ^ "Tout ce que l'on sait sur la saison 12 de Top Chef". GQ France (in French). 21 January 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
- ^ Fans fear for MasterChef judge over "odd" detail in finale
- ^ ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ "The Fat Duck". Archived from the original on 14 April 2010.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ [HAH, 25]
- ^ McGrath, Nick (31 March 2012). "Heston Blumenthal: My food is really emotional". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 12 July 2012
- ^ [ISOTP 9]
- ^ [Yeomans, MR, Chambers, L, Blumenthal, H & Blake, A. (2008) The role of expectancy in sensory and hedonic evaluation: the case of smoked salmon ice-cream. Food Quality and Preference, 19, 565–573]
- ^ [HAH 27]
- ^ Simpson, Aislinn (1 March 2009). "Heston Blumenthal gets welcome boost amid Fat Duck food poisoning scare". The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2009.
- ^ Susan Russo Bacon gets its just desserts 1 December 2009 NPR
- ^ Historic Heston. Blommsbury USA. p. 7.
- ^ "Historic Heston by Heston Blumenthal: What's for Dinner?". Retrieved 5 November 2015.
- ^ Roberts, Laura (17 June 2010). "Heston Blumenthal to cook brains and offal for the Queen". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
- ^ Murphy, Victoria (31 May 2012). "Picnic at the palace: Heston Blumenthal rustles up a Diamond Jubilee feast". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
- ^ "Queen serves up reward for chefs", "BBC News", London, 31 December 2005. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
- ^ "Bristol University, Public and Ceremonial Events Office, Heston Marc Blumenthal". University of Bristol. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
- ^ "World's best chef and Oscar-winning director receive honorary degrees". University of Reading. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
- ^ "Heston Blumenthal to open the University's new Innovation Lab", "University of Reading", Reading, 25 October 2005. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
- ^ "Royal Society of Chemistry honours leading chef", "Royal Society of Chemistry", London, 26 July 2006. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
- ^ "Bristol University: Public and Ceremonial Events Office – Heston Marc Blumenthal", "University of Bristol", Bristol, 20 February 2007. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
- ^ "Heston Blumenthal awarded honorary doctorate at the School's 2013 graduation ceremony". 9 December 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
- ^ "September 2013 Newsletter (No. 36)", "College of Arms", London, 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
- ^ a b The Fat Duck and Heston Blumenthal's Awards Archived 30 June 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Chef's choice award – Worlds 50 Best Restaurant", "The World's 50 Best Restaurants#Chefs' Choice Award"
- ^ "Men Of The Year/Winners 2011/Chef: Heston Blumenthal", GQ, 6 September 2011.
- ^ "Heston Blumenthal Awarded The Diners Club® Lifetime Achievement Award 2017". Ikon London Magazine. 5 April 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
- ^ a b "Gourmand Awards Winners 1995–2014". cookbookfair.com. Gourmand International. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ "2008 Television Features | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ "RTS Programme Awards 2010 | Royal Television Society". www.rts.org.uk. Royal Television Society. 14 March 2011. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ "The Guild of Food Writers – Past Recipients". The Guild of Food Writers. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ "British Book Industry Awards (BBIA) 2009 | The Independent Publishing Magazine". TIPM. 2 June 2009. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ "Awards Search – James Beard Foundation". James Beard Foundation. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ "IACP Cookbook Award | LibraryThing". Library Thing. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ "2010 Television Features | BAFTA Awards". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ "The World's 50 Best Restaurants". theworlds50best.com. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
- ^ Moreton, Cole (1 December 2013). "Heston Blumenthal: 'We chefs think we're the fourth emergency service'". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
- ^ ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ a b "Heston Blumenthal announces engagement to Melanie Ceysson". The Independent. 28 January 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ Wynne-Jones, Jonathan (14 August 2011). "Heston Blumenthal has split from his wife of 20 years". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
- ISBN 9781408804414. Archived from the originalon 11 January 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
- ^ "Umami Information Center". Umamiinfo.com. Archived from the original on 20 April 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
- PMID 17567148.